What am I doing wrong?

[RedlineBlue]

Okay, it seems like every time I wash my car I end up with some new light scratches (swirl marks) in the finish. I have no idea what I am doing to get them and I am getting more and more aggravated. I am having this problem and the car isn't very dirty when I start! Here is what I am doing someone please tell me what I am doing wrong

- Start of with 2 buckets that I wash out well before use. One with car soap one with plain water
- Use a standard low pressure garden hose nozzle
- I use a Mequires <spelling> wash mit that was washed in the washing machine with "micro restore" microfiber soap.
- All of of microfiber towels are from perfectautofinish (Kevin) also washed like the mitt in the washing machine with microfiber special soap.
- I wet the entire car down and let it soak for a few minutes
- I re-wet the area I am going to clean and start washing from the top of the car.
- Start off with Soapy Mitt
- I wash a section at a time i.e 1/2 the hood.
- Rinse well by dunking the mitt in clean water 5 - 6 times wringing twice
- Back into the soapy bucket
- Repeat the plain water soapy water method as I go around the car
- When the ENTIRE top (not the convertible top I am talking about the part above where the wheels would splash dirt) of the car is done I do the very bottom using the same method as described above
- Use leaf blower to blow off water
- Wipe car down with waffle microfiber towel

When I am done the plain water bucket has some dirt in the bottom of it. The soapy bucket very little. What am I doing wrong to get these fine scratches?

[Antonio]

Originally Posted by RedlineBlue

Okay, it seems like every time I wash my car I end up with some new light scratches (swirl marks) in the finish. I have no idea what I am doing to get them and I am getting more and more aggravated. I am having this problem and the car isn't very dirty when I start! Here is what I am doing someone please tell me what I am doing wrong

- Start of with 2 buckets that I wash out well before use. One with car soap one with plain water
- Use a standard low pressure garden hose nozzle
- I use a Mequires <spelling> wash mit that was washed in the washing machine with "micro restore" microfiber soap.
- All of of microfiber towels are from perfectautofinish (Kevin) also washed like the mitt in the washing machine with microfiber special soap.
- I wet the entire car down and let it soak for a few minutes
- I re-wet the area I am going to clean and start washing from the top of the car.
- Start off with Soapy Mitt
- I wash a section at a time i.e 1/2 the hood.
- Rinse well by dunking the mitt in clean water 5 - 6 times wringing twice
- Back into the soapy bucket
- Repeat the plain water soapy water method as I go around the car
- When the ENTIRE top (not the convertible top I am talking about the part above where the wheels would splash dirt) of the car is done I do the very bottom using the same method as described above
- Use leaf blower to blow off water
- Wipe car down with waffle microfiber towel

When I am done the plain water bucket has some dirt in the bottom of it. The soapy bucket very little. What am I doing wrong to get these fine scratches?

unfortunately, there's NO way to avoid minor swirls and scratches over time with washing. Every once in a while, you'll need to detail to get them out. Take a read through the detailing section.

Great things to have are clay bars, buffers, cleaner waxes, polishes, etc.

[Asucar]

Originally Posted by Antonio

unfortunately, there's NO way to avoid minor swirls and scratches over time with washing.

It's prolly more noticeable on the darker colors. I dampen my WW and try to blot the water, but inevitably notice swirls/micromarring. Once or twice a year detailing is definitely in the mix if we want a perfect shine all the time.... Check out autopia.org (detailer's forum) if you want to get really OCD about keeping your Sky beautiful...

[xmicro_Redline]

My perspective is like this:

From another thread!

Originally Posted by xmicro_Redline

Absolutely the car needs to be buffed out by a pro with a real wheel (buffer) not some orbital, consumer thing.

The problem with that is, you do not want to do that too often because it takes a layer off your finish, and if not done properly you can burn the paint, especially on sharp edges.

What I would do is, get it professionally done then stay the heck away from car washes. Either use a friend / family members driveway or go to a self- car wash as earlier stated.

People make the biggest mistakes with car finishes from lack of knowledge. I have read comments on this forum like, "I do not have a garage so I wash it at least once a week". EVERY time you wash your car you put micro scratches in the finish. I do not care what kind of rags you use.

The goal is to keep your car as clean as possible so that you need to wash it as few times as possible. My car is garaged, I have washed it 5 times since January 26, 2007. I always keep it covered and when I come back in after a ride I use detail spray and a brand new micro-fibre cloth before I recover it.

The point I am trying to make is, even if you do not have a garage, if you detail spray it each time you pull in and cover it, which helps avoid washing, it will make a world of diference in the longevity of the finish. Either that or just let it stay dirty more and keep the washing down to 1 or 2 times a month and do it yourself with the proper car care, you should be fine.

Dark colors are the hardest to keep nice, especially left outdoors in the elements. Good Luck and check out the weathersheild from Kappasphere, great outdoor covers. And remember, never cover a dirty car or the cover will scratch the paint like sandpaper. Always detail spray before covering.

[SKY-DOGY]

I take mine to a spray car wash (with many quarters in hand) and just spray the car trying to knock off all the grit/bugs. I then go home and hand wash as you do. I also use the Turtle wax "ICE" detailing spray after drying. It helps to keep the grit/bugs from sticking to the finish. Seems to work well for me.

[OlSkyDriver]

When I bought Demon, the dealer gave me a detailing kit, containing wax, car wash, leather and fabric cleaner. So far, I have only used the car wash. I also received, from the dealer, 2 free detailings a year. So far, I've used 1 of them. I also agree that some sort of spray wax, between detailings, helps a lot.

[KentuckySky]

You must have midnight blue. All you have to do is look at it and a new swirl appears! Eventually you won't have any paint left if you try to buff them out each time a new ones pop up. I'm trying to learn to deal with it. My next Sky will be a lighter color.

[xmicro_Redline]

If you have HARD WATER (ie: lots O' Minerals). That can do more damage than a dirty rag.

Try one of these if that is the case:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/search.j...x=0&search.y=0

[Rail Jockey]

I've spent more money at Griot's then I care to say. I have been happy with most of the products, although I feel they are a bit over priced.

[Bogie]

Agree with most of this thread. I've got a black car and lots of swirls. On the plus side they are extremely fine and only noticeable in certain lighting condition. Face it, the reflection of a micro-gouge on black is going to reflect back light (white)...and the contrast capability of our eyes is going to pick it out like....like....white on black.

But in most lighting conditions the car look super **** hot...with mirror-like reflections. And when driving it on the roadway, it looks fantastic.

I would add that we can sometimes "touch" our car too much in our desire to keep it looking nice. Because every time you touch it (with a micro towel, or wash mit, or whatever) you are trading on evil (removal of lots of dirt) for another evil (those micro devils of dirt that instead of being removed decide to scrape across the surface).

One additional word of caution. Even with the detail spray you gotta be careful. Be it good soap suds...or the lubricant in the detail spray, the goal is to have the bad stuff sliding OVER the finish on the wings of suds and lubricant as opposed to sliding INTO the finish. In both cases, you will not be 100% successful with the OVER, so you will pretty much have to live with the INTO.

[lil goat]

I did a lot of reading on this on a detailing forum. Here is what I found out and it worked for me. First it's not the paint that is scratched it's the clear coat. Only way to fix it is with polish and a buffer, I use a Porter Cable and Poorboys 2.5 polish. I use a 4" orange pad. Then I use and ACRYLIC paint cleaner sealant from Klasse called All In One. The clear coat is acrylic based so this seems logical, then I use an acrylic sealant from Klasse very thin coat applied with the Porter Cable and a red 4" pad. Then I use a good wax for shine I like Frenzy. It worked just like they said it would. The acrylic sealant fills in the scratches. My paint looks better than new. It took all day but it was worth it. Even in bright sun no more swirl marks. Check out the forum on www.autogeeks.net.[IMG][/IMG]

The black truck.
[IMG][/IMG]

[RMFNSKY]

Man that truck's shine is remarkable. I have never seen a black car shine that well. Nice Job

[RedlineBlue]

Lilgoat.... WOW is that shine swesome!

[lil goat]

Thanks guys, it is the DA. Funny thing is that is and AWD truck with quadsteer and it has been deep off road more than once, never parked inside. It looked pretty bad but I did the whole truck with the DA and a yellow pad, pretty agressive and the Poorboys 2,5 then an orange pad and the 2.5 the and orange pad and the Poorboys 1.0, then the acrylic paint cleaner, then the acrylic sealant. Then I got to wax it. IT'S A REALLY BIG TRUCK, damn near killed me. I learned all about detailing over on the Autogeek.net forum. That's where I found out about the acrylic sealant. It look s OK by itself but really pops when you layer over the top of it with some good carnuba.

[ihawk95]

I too have had good luck this summer using a paint cleaner, then polish, then wax after washing. I have used the clay bar as well. I have a few light swirls, but I gotta say, the car looks really, really impressive when I've put in the effort to use a multi-step process! Very, very shiny and mirror like!

Found out a ton of good information in many different threads and applied it! Good luck!

[ktraver97ss]

Originally Posted by xmicro_Redline

My perspective is like this:

From another thread!

BINGO!! Good info.

RedlineBlue- You are doing everything right . Those micro-scratches will most likely reappear after a couple washes no matter what materials are used. One good practice already mentioned is blotting the water with the Waffleweave MF, I have noticed it creates less marring than dragging it across the paint.

My solution to these micro scratches is applying a coat of Poly-seal after every wash. The sealant and caranuba mix does well filling in those fine blemishes and leaves a deep wet look. It also helps by keeping a good layer of protection on the paint and not allowing as much dirt to gather on the finish.

[bigdog]

Originally Posted by ktraver97ss

BINGO!! Good info.

RedlineBlue- You are doing everything right . Those micro-scratches will most likely reappear after a couple washes no matter what materials are used. One good practice already mentioned is blotting the water with the Waffleweave MF, I have noticed it creates less marring than dragging it across the paint.

My solution to these micro scratches is applying a coat of Poly-seal after every wash. The sealant and caranuba mix does well filling in those fine blemishes and leaves a deep wet look. It also helps by keeping a good layer of protection on the paint and not allowing as much dirt to gather on the finish.

Kevin - you would know better than most but I totally agree. Using the poly-seal after a wash makes the car practially drip it looks so wet. I really like your products and won't use anything else on my SKY - I like to use the same products from day one but that's just me!